Today's lesson on "Key to
the Kingdom" will be just a little bit different. I will combine the messages of
both 2nd John and 3rd John into one lesson. They are both quite short, and very
similar; and hopefully you will benefit from this approach. Have you ever heard
the phrase, "The truth is hard to hear?" That is true, isn't it? Sometimes we do
not like to hear things we need to hear, yet often times, what is said helps us
in the long run. No, we do not like to hear the message, but once we think about
it, it proves beneficial. The short message found in 2nd John communicates that
same idea. Written by the apostle John to Christians everywhere, he warns them
to watch out for false teachers. He also urges them to be wise, by not showing
support and encouragement to them; and yet, John does this in a way that still
inspires these Christians to show love to one another. Throughout his message,
John asks these Christians to know the difference between the truth of God's
Word and the error of false teaching. That is something we are to recognize as
well. As we study these 13 verses, I hope we will apply them to our own lives. I
invite you now to open your heart, and your Bible, as we study together.

**LESSON(1)

The letter called 2nd John
is the shortest letter in all of the New Testament. The author, John, was an
apostle, and also a very close friend to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. His
message expands on what he wrote in 1st John, as he makes some specific
applications of adhere. He writes about the importance of loving one another. He
points out that to obey God is to love one another, and to love one another is a
demonstration of one's obedience to God's commands. In other words, loving
people and obeying God go hand in hand. Something else John emphasizes is the
fact that Jesus is not only the Son of God, He is both God and Man. Evidently,
there were some false teachers who were not teaching that truth, and as a
result, many people were being led astray, and they were being led away from
God. John even instructs these believers to separate themselves from these false
teachers and have nothing to do with them. With this being such a short letter,
perhaps it is best to simply read these 13 verses. After we do, I want to come
back and offer some comments on them; and so, let's spend just a moment reading
2nd John. "The elder, to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the
truth, and not only I, but also all who know the truth, because of the truth
which lives in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy, and peace from God
the Father, and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth
and love. It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the
truth, just as the Father commanded us. And now, dear lady, I am not writing you
a new command, but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one
another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you
have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love. Many
deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone
out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch
out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded
fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ
does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the
Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him
into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked
work. I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink.
Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may
be complete. The children of your chosen sister send their greetings." As John
begins, he identifies himself as an elder, or an overseer of God's people. We do
know that toward the end of his life, he served as an elder, or a shepherd, in
the church, we just don't know for sure which one. Some even suggest it was the
church in Ephesus, and perhaps that is true. We notice also in his introduction,
he writes to the chosen lady and her children. Now that can mean one of two
things. Often times outside of the city of Jerusalem, there was no place for a
large group of people to come together and fellowship, and to worship God and so
sometimes wealthy people would offer up their homes for a meeting place, where
everyone could come together and worship and fellowship. And perhaps that was
the case here; a wealthy person had offered up her home for that use. On the
other hand, this simply might be a figure of speech. John may be identifying a
specific church and its members, and he calls them "the lady and her children;"
again, we do not know for sure. What we do know however, is John has some very
important things to share with his fellow Christians and he wants them to hear
it. First of all, he shares the connection between truth and love. Five times
the word truth, and five times the word love is found in the first six verses.
Oh it was important for these believers to love one another, but they also
needed to know that loving one another also meant loving other people, who
perhaps did not know the truth, and had never received that Good News message of
Jesus. Oh, the underlying truth of God's Word has always been to live a life of
love, and to share that love with others, while standing up on the truth of
God's Word. In His ministry, Jesus was asked the question one day, "What is the
greatest commandment?" His response was, "Love the Lord your God with all of
your heart, soul, mind, and strength." In other words, love Him with everything
you have, and then love your neighbor as yourself; and there was no commandment
greater than these. Yes, these people were to know the truth, and to love
others. The second thing John mentions in this letter is how to properly deal
with false teachers. According to verses 7-11, some were saying Jesus did not
come in the flesh. They did not believe God had revealed Himself through His
Son, while Jesus lived here up on the Earth. That idea revolved around one
primary thought, the Spirit is entirely good, while the flesh is entirely evil.
In other words, anything that was physical was evil, and everything that was
spiritual, concerning God, was good, and those two things could never mix.
Obviously that is not true, especially when it comes to Jesus Christ, the holy
and good Son of God, living here up on this Earth. These false teachers also
believe they had more insight and more wisdom than anybody else, including the
apostles. They believed they had gained some special insight from God, that the
apostles had not gained. Therefore, they set themselves above the other people.
They set themselves above the apostles; and by doing so, they misled the people.
These people were not being taught something that was right, they were being
confused, and John wanted them to be aware of that false teaching. He further
warns them to not welcome these false teachers into their home, nor encourage
them or promote their work in any way. Instead, they were simply to love these
people, who were made in the image of God, as they themselves stood upon the
truth of God's Word. And the solution on how to do that was found there in the
first 6 verses: "Stand firmly on God's Word, while living a life of love." As
John ends this short letter, he does so by saying something unusual. "I do not
want to use any more paper and ink," perhaps it was hard to come by, perhaps it
cost too much money, but John simply states, "I want to come and see you. I want
to enjoy some fellowship with those fellow believers, and to see you face to
face; and when that happens, both your joy and my joy will be made complete." If
John was living in the world today, and if he was writing letters to his fellow
believers, he might write something like what we have here, in the letter called
2nd John. As we think about a summary statement from John's letter, perhaps the
words of Jesus wrap up the message of 2nd John. These words are found in the
Gospel of John, chapter 14 verses 23 and 24, "Jesus stated, 'If you love me, you
will obey what I command. If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My
father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him. He
who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my
own, they belong to the Father who sent me." Once again, love and obedience go
hand in hand: That message has been around for a long time, and it still applies
today. That is the challenge before all of those who seek to follow in the
footsteps of Jesus Christ, to live a life of love and obedience while standing
firm on the truth of God's Word.

**SUMMARY(1)

The apostle John's 2nd
letter to Christians everywhere revolves around the theme of love. It is based
on his teaching found in 1st John, and it goes something like this: True love
for others, and especially fellow believers, can never be separated from the
truth. If we believe the teaching in God's Word is true, then we will obey it,
and if we are committed to following the truth, we will show love for others.
That is the underlying message, not only of 2nd John, but the message of the
entire Bible. Jesus said, "The two greatest commandments of all time are these:
Love God, and love people." John wants those who truly follow Jesus to
understand that and to put it into practice everyday.

Thank you for tuning in to
hear the message from 2nd John. Even though it is the shortest letter found in
the New Testament, it is powerful and important. Knowing the truth of God's Word
is absolutely necessary in today's world. As we are influenced by so many things
around us, we can count on God's Word to lead us in the right direction. We will
now continue with another short message on the letter of 3rd John.

**LESSON(2)

Part of the work I do with
the "Key to the Kingdom" ministry is to visit individuals and churches all
around the country. I do so in order to share the story of what God is doing
through this mass media effort, and what others can do to be a part of it. It is
good to be with these Christians, who believe in and support this mission
effort. A number of years ago, while making such a visit, I spoke at a church
where I was not welcomed. There was one man, in particular, who was not
interested in hearing my message, and he certainly offered no support or
encouragement. Well, the message from 3rd John addresses that very issue. Some
traveling evangelists were not being welcomed or received by certain
individuals. John is greatly disappointed in one specific man and his lack of
hospitality. However, he has high praise for some who did offer kindness and
love. He appreciates their willingness to show support for the traveling
missionaries. Important qualities such as kindness and love and hospitality are
found in faithful believers. In this part of our lesson, we will notice John's
teaching about what demonstrating these qualities looks like. I hope you will
follow along, as we continue our study here in 3rd John. Like the first 2
letters, 3rd John was also written by the apostle John. Unlike 2nd John,
however, in this one, we have the recipient's name. John writes to a man named
Gaius, who was one of his converts to Christianity. No, a definite date has
never been established for all three of these letters; however, it is safe to
say they were written toward the end of John's life, somewhere between the years
of 85 and 95 AD. That is also true with the Gospel that bares John's name. Like
I did with the letter called 2nd John, I want to allow this second shortest
letter in all of the New Testament to speak directly to us, and so I want to
read 3rd John, and then I'll come back and offer a few closing comments. And so,
let's read together the letter called 3rd John. "The elder, to my dear friend
Gaius, whom I love in the truth: Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good
health, and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along
well. It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your
faithfulness to the truth, and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no
greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. Dear friend,
you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are
strangers to you. They have told the church about your love, and you will do
well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. It was for the sake of
the name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought,
therefore, to show hospitality to such men, so that we may work together for the
truth. I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have
nothing to do with with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is
doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to
welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so, and puts them out
of the church. Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good.
Anyone who does what is good is from God, anyone who does what is evil has not
seen God. Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone, and even by the truth itself.
We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true. I have much
to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you
soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace be to you. The friends here send
their greetings. Greet the friends there by name." John recognizes his friend
Gaius, for his faithfulness to the Lord, and also to the truth of God's Word. He
is also commended for showing love and hospitality to traveling missionaries and
evangelists. Now, that was a big deal. People who were going out in the
countryside, the towns and villages, sharing the Good News of Jesus depended
upon fellow Christians to help them. As John points out, they don't get help
from the pagans or the unbelievers. These traveling evangelists needed someone
to provide for them some food, and a place to stay; and evidently, Gaius did
just that. He did not ask too many questions. He did not stand in judgment of
them. Rather, as they passed through, he offered his support and encouragement.
In doing so, Gaius provided a really good example for others to follow. I know
some churches, and some Christians, today, who follow that example. They support
missionaries and evangelists. They recognize the sacrifices those individuals
are making for the cause of Jesus Christ, and they do what they can to assist
them. Another man John identifies is there in verse 12, his name is Demetrius.
He is doing some of the very same things Gaius is doing, helping and encouraging
others who are representing the Lord. Everyone seems to like him. They speak
well of him, and his Christian example. These two men stand in direct contrast
to a man named Diotrephes, who is identified in verse 9. Diotrephes is not
wiling to help anyone; instead, he prefers to gossip. He talks bad about and
criticizes people like Gaius and Demetrius. He does not associate with these
kind of people, nor does he cooperate in their efforts. He also seems to carry a
certain amount of power and influence. He is able to exclude people from the
church and to withdraw fellowship from them; and that attitude of superiority
comes from his pride problem. He loves to be first, as John identifies in verse
9. He likes drawing attention to himself, believing he is better than everybody
else. He even thinks that he knows the truth better than others, especially
those like Gaius and Demetrius. I know some churches and some Christians who
follow that example, as well. They are not supportive of missionaries or
evangelistic efforts. They will not participate with anyone beyond those who are
associated with their own fellowship. They have what we might call a "closed
community," and they only accept those who practice like they do. They ask lots
of questions. They are suspicious of those not like them. And, like Diotrephes,
the problem seems to revolve around the issue of pride. That is a problem that
all of us have to deal with, I suppose, from time to time, and it is very
difficult to overcome. And yet, when we truly understand and appreciate what God
has done for us, we will respond, not with pride, but with humility. When we
recognize the great sacrifice that God has made for us, by offering His son
Jesus Christ to die on our behalf, to cleanse us of our sin, and to bring us
into His family, then we will respond with humility. We will want to share that
same Good News with other people, and we will encourage and support those who
are doing that very thing. As I think about John's message, I think about how I
treat those who have been called upon to serve the Lord. Do I support and
encourage them in their work? Do I pray on their behalf? Do I do what I can to
offer my fellowship and my encouragement? Well, according to 3rd John, that is
part of walking in the truth, as a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. That is
part of what it means to love people. As I have already stated, that is at the
heart of these three letters from John that we find at the end of the New
Testament. Now, like he did in 2nd John, he quickly closes his letter by stating
that he does not want to use anymore pen and ink, or paper and ink, to write
anything else to these people. He wants to see them face to face. He looks
forward to the time when they came come together, and mutually encourage one
another. As we close our study on this short letter, we ask the question, what
is the primary message we can take away from 3rd John? What is the point that
John would have us to take, and to apply to our lives, as we seek to be an
encouragement to others who are out there sharing the Good News with others?
Perhaps it is best summed up in some other words written by John, in 1st John
chapter 3, verses 16-18: "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid
down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If
anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on
him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with
words or tongue, but with actions, and in truth." My prayer for all of those who
profess to be followers of Jesus Christ is that we will receive this teaching
from this great apostle. Let us be people of the truth, as we put our love into
action, and as we bless the people whom God puts before us.

**SUMMARY(2)

One of the trademarks of
true Christianity is showing kindness and hospitality to those in need.
Throughout the Bible, we find many teachings to that effect, along with a number
of examples of people doing it. The letter of 3rd John commends men named
Demetrius and Gaius for showing hospitality to traveling evangelists and
missionaries. On the other hand, John scolds a man named Diotrephes for not
doing it. This man even withdraws his fellowship from those who show kindness to
Christian workers. The message John communicates to us today is obvious, those
who follow Jesus put their faith into action. They become a blessing to those
who are called on to be representatives of the Lord.

**CONCLUSION

Thank you for being our
guest today on "Key to the Kingdom." The Bible's message about practicing
hospitality and kindness is clear; Christians are supposed to do it. That is
especially true when it comes to helping those who are God's servants. Hopefully
3rd John encouraged us to put our faith into practice. These two short messages,
from 2nd John and 3rd John, have been combined into one lesson. The lessons
title is "Living with Love," and it is available through our website,
keytothekingdom.com. You can download it in several different formats without
any cost. We offer a variety of other teaching tools as well. Find us on Roku®
Television or Facebook, or even download our free phone app. You might even be
interested in some short inspirational videos, or a daily devotional thought,
and I trust you will take a look at what is offered. I really hope you will
enroll in a free Bible study. You can access it through the website, or you can
call the number on the screen. If you make the call, please leave your name and
address and we will mail it to you in a few days. The study contains six
lessons, and it requires no commitment of any kind. As we get close to the end
of our study of the New Testament, remember, all of the lessons are uploaded
onto the website. If you missed any of them, or would like to view or listen to
a certain message again, please feel free to do so. It has been our pleasure to
share this message with you today. Every week, at this same time, we allow God's
Word to direct us into a closer walk with Him. I hope you have found that to be
true with our study of 2nd and 3rd John. Please consider joining us again next
time, as we continue to study the Bible on "Key to the Kingdom."